What's opening up on Broadway?

By Soraya Victory

Broadway's most recent motto seems to be, "Here today, gone tomorrow." Every opening and closing brings floods of praise and criticism from members of the Yale and New Haven communities, who are quick to take sides and place blame. With people still debating the merits of the Yale Bookstore and reacting to the controversial closings of the Daily Caffe and Breugger's Bagels, President Richard Levin's, GRD '74, May appointment of Bruce Alexander, BK '65, as vice president of New Haven affairs takes on a new significance. All eyes are fixed on Alexander as he takes on the formidable task of revitalizing Yale property in the Broadway area.

As Alexander relocates restaurants and retailers on Yale property and brings in new tenants, he has more to consider than the look of buildings and storefronts. Tensions always flare when situations involving University ownership of commercial space arise; Yale came under attack when the historic Co-op was replaced by national giant Barnes & Noble, and protestors were quick to criticize the University for the closing of the Daily even though the owners had not paid rent for a year. On the morning of the coffee shop's eviction, protestors picketed Elm Street wielding signs that read, "Yale, this is soooo wrong!" and "Yale/Schiavone sucks anything good--the life--out of New Haven."

Reactions of both students and New Haven residents have turned real estate developments into politicized issues that call into question the University's dedication to its students and its city. If Alexander hopes to resolve some of these tensions with his plans for Broadway, he must take into account the needs and concerns of the diverse group of people who work, eat, shop, and live in downtown New Haven.

Spring forward

The Office of University Development is reviewing proposals from four local and outside architects for a new building that will replace the spaces currently occupied by the Quality Wine Shop, Cutler's, Cutler's Classical, Broadway Pizza, and the adjoining vacant building. Owners of these stores know about the project and will relocate during construction. Joseph Fahey, SOM '97, director of operations for University Development, emphasized that the businesses will not be evicted as a result of the new construction. "We're not going to let them get out of there," Fahey said. "We want them in there. We're working with them, and they're working with us and other landlords to try to find a space. And, you know, if they can't find a permanent space, we can move them back into the space [when construction is completed], as long as they want to move back in."

Alexander explained that once he and the Office of University Development select an architect and a design, they must take the proposal to "the officers of the University, the appropriate city officials, and the Yale Corporation for approval." The Class of 2000 may even see the project carried to completion. "We would hope to begin work on the project, assuming it's approved at all these levels, in the spring, and it would take approximately a year to complete," Alexander said.

Any landlord would have to receive city approval for a building project, but this step of the process underscores the crucial relationship between the University and the city--a relationship which will dictate the future of Broadway. Furthermore, the success or failure of this project will prove a critical test of the strength of town-gown relations.

Ties that bind

The Office of New Haven Affairs provides tangible evidence of the close ties the University and the city are attempting to forge. Photo collages with images of Yale and New Haven decorate the walls. A sign reads, "Bringing under one roof those in the Yale Administration who work with the city, this Office is a place where members of the Yale and New Haven communities can come together to build partnerships for economic development, neighborhood revitalization, education, and human development."

Such a commitment did not always exist. "I find that the difference between when I was a student and now is that the University sees its role as one of much more serious engagement in supporting the city and the agenda of the community's elected officials," Alexander explained.

Of course, New Haven also has an investment in the relationship. In a June 1997 article in The Boston Globe, Levin drew attention to a national trend of codependence between city universities and their urban environments. He wrote, "Just as universities desire healthy cities to make themselves more attractive to prospective students and faculty, city leaders should recognize that healthy universities and their affiliated medical centers provide a stable base of urban employment that is increasing the principal engine of urban economic growth."

A safe, well-designed Broadway area will appeal to visiting students and their families, but the renovations must do more than enhance the aesthetic surroundings of the University. As Fahey said, "It's a viable business, it serves primarily student needs. But the Yale community needs to keep in mind that Broadway is not just for students; it's for the staff and faculty that work at Yale, it's for the city at large as well." Despite frequent accusations that the University is willing to sacrifice the interests of local citizens for financial gain, the Elm City itself has a vested interest in the economic success of the Broadway area. After all, New Haven residents run the businesses that serve the University, and they rely on students, faculty, and staff for their income.

The customer is always right

Independent business owners in the Broadway district must structure their businesses around a dependence on student clientele. "Our business drops 35 percent during the summer and vacation periods. During those periods, we don't get rid of our staff--we can't. So we have a huge payroll," George Koutroumanis, who works at Yorkside Pizza (which is owned by his brothers), said. Henry Schwab,MC '63, GRD '65, owner of Book Haven, concurred. "The summer is completely dead here. You see yourself losing money," he said. Even during the academic year, business depends on student schedules. Without a regular dinner rush, for example, restaurants like Yorkside find that they have to stay open long hours to bring in the crowds they need to survive.

Competition, of course, provides another obstacle, and reveals the necessity of developing a broader client base. "Twenty years ago, there was a sandwich shop, Broadway Pizza, and the Doodle," Koutroumanis said. "Then Educated Burgher opened; we opened up. We were very busy and looking for a bigger place. Now there's about 20 restaurants in the York, Broadway, Chapel area, where there used to be around five. And there are not four times as many students." Some of the toughest competition comes from the chain stores, such as Barnes & Noble and XandO. "National or widespread corporations won't notice if they're losing money," Schwab said. "They won't care as much if it's good advertising. People sort of realize it, but don't really as much as merchants do."

The solution to this problem of "saturation," as Koutroumanis calls it, is to increase clientele by drawing in customers from outside the Yale population. In setting goals for the project on Broadway, Fahey outlined four target groups: "The primary group is Yale undergrads, graduates, faculty, and staff; the secondary group is daytime people of New Haven who come here to work; the third group is New Haven at large; and the fourth group is a regional one." Thus, business owners and University developers share the desire to create a downtown area that appeals to a more diverse clientele.

Above and beyond

Appealing to all of these groups involves a careful examination of their needs as clients. In order to cater to the primary target group, Fahey and Alexander will meet with focus groups of students over the next 30 days to hear their suggestions for Broadway area improvements. "A result of this will be a list of goods, services, and retailers that students want and a list of hopeful tenants that students want," Fahey explained. "If we can't find that exactly, then we'll try to subsitute something along those lines."

Students provide an automatic consumer base; the difficulty is in attracting people who live outside the immediate neighborhood. Expanding the consumer range in this way will help bring the Yale and New Haven communities together, but inherent urban problems like traffic and crime present challenges to this end. One of the greatest drawbacks of downtown New Haven is the expensive and often nonexistent parking. This obstacle makes it difficult for the Broadway district businesses to compete with the various malls around New Haven, including the new one planned for Long Wharf, as well as with restaurants and stores outside the downtown area which provide free, convenient parking. For the time being, new parking facilities are not at the top of the list of priorities for the Office of University Properties, but Fahey agreed that the problem needs to be addressed. "In the long run we're going to have to do something about it," he said. "This will all be part of what we're working through with the city as well."

Opinion varies among store owners and University officials about whether the stores on Broadway can provide enough draw so that non-students will overlook urban inconveniences like parking. Fahey explained that bringing in the Yale Bookstore was the first step. "It literally has the largest book selection in the area.... We're trying to create a place that people will drive to," he said. Yet the name itself can be enough to put off customers, despite the quality of the service it provides. "A store called the Yale Bookstore would not attract me," Koutroumanis said.

Elliot Brause, owner of the 64-year-old Quality Wine Shop, does see potential for the Bookstore. "Barnes & Noble is a good, solid operation," he said. "It's nationally known. They bring with them national expertise and national money.... It's appealing to the outside community, but it should be Barnes & Noble, not the Yale Bookstore, to bring people in." He also suggested that the store use its pull to bring in more high-profile authors for readings or signings, the way branches in other cities do. Yet the enormous white letters hovering over the street provide a constant reminder of the control that Yale has over parts of the district and seem to undermine any attempts the University makes to ingratiate itself to the city.

A delicate balance

The Bookstore alone may not have the draw to revitalize Broadway, but what characterizes the district now is the combination of chain operations and privately-owned stores--and this combination may prove to be a success. Fahey described the following ideal scenario: "Hopefully you come to Broadway to go to the Yale Bookstore, which is bigger and better than the Barnes & Noble in North Haven, then maybe you grab a cheeseburger at the Doodle, and then go to Trailblazers."

Koutroumanis agreed that a balance between the two types of businesses would be possible, commenting, "Chains are okay if there's room for mom and pop places to do okay. A reasonable mix is okay." Not everyone, however, believes in the viability of this coexistence. Doodle owner Lou Beckwith, whose father opened the eatery in 1950, said, "It's too difficult. The Daily, Dakota J.'s, Benson's all went under. It's very hard for small businesses to keep up with these [chains]."

Yet it is these small, family-owned stores which give the downtown area its unique feel and create an intimate environment for patrons--an environment that no one wants to see destroyed. "There will always be mom and pop stores," Brause said. "Small stores treat people nice. There's much more of a family feeling."

For Schwab, the size of his business allows him to give personal attention to his customers. He finds that this treatment keeps them coming back to Book Haven instead of the Co-op and the Bookstore. "I try to keep professors happy," he said. "We're small and have the advantage of recognizing people after they come in a couple times."

The road ahead

Of course for everyone involved--consumers and sellers alike--economics play a crucial role. All customers, from students to out-of-towners, want reasonably priced merchandise and services. Private business owners want their stores to provide them with a stable personal income. And University Properties--which operates and pays taxes like any other business--similarly expects a return on its investments.

Critics fault the University for having strictly profit-related concerns in the Broadway renovations and blame chains for running family-owned businesses into the ground. A common purpose, however, connects everyone involved in the Broadway area: shaping a successful future that will attract students, consumers, and residents.

Photos by Julia Tiernan.

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